Electrical furnace.



w.Y H. HAMPTON.

ELECTRICAL FuRNAcE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28| 19l3.

witnoeof i 38 ai, yuewtoz A 3:2113 @lieg-fao l A l `ses UNITED STATESPATENT onirica'.

WILLIAM H. HAMPTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE CONLEY ELECTRICFURNACE COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORA- lELECTRICAL FURNACE.

T all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM H. HAMP- TON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, inthe county and State of New York, haveinvented Improvements in Electrical Furnaces, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates more especially to metallurgical furnaces, andmay be used for various processes andoperations wherein it is necessaryor desirable to admit vair or gases, or any gaseous fluid, to act on theore or material being treated. The furnace illustrated herewith isdesigned more partic- I ularly for a roasting furnace, but it may alsoingroasted or otherwise treated. The material is heated by heated guidesurfaces, the arrangement of which promotes the action of the air orgases on the material, and 30 to this end part or all of the partsaffording said surfaces are provided with non-arcing resistanceconductors, -in the imannerset forth in my companion applicationv filedFebruary 28, 1913, Serial No. 751,258.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention: Figure 1 is avertical section through the furnace; andv Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection on.the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The 4furnace is a vertical structure and 40 may be regarded ascomprising a shaft provided with a plurality of guide members,

which break up its interior and guide the material in a zigza course inits descent by gravity. The sha t 10 is suitably built of masonry andhas a lining 11, which may be of acid,'basic or neutral character. Thematerial is admitted through an openin 12in the top," and is shown. assupplied rom a hopperA 18 by a feed Screw 14, which may be operatedintermittently or continuously,

as desired. The guide members preferably comprisey approximatelytriangular blocks 15 and '16,' the former projecting inward Ifrom'thesides of the furnace and the latter being located centrally. The sidemembers' Specification of Letters Patent.

gaseous fluid on the material, which is be- Patented July 20, 1915.

Application mea February 2s, 191s. serial No. 751,259.

15 may be regarded as single blocks and the middle members 16 as doubleblocks. Thus, at each side of the vertical center line there is a zigzagor a staggered series of guide members 16, 15, 16, 15,. having reverselysloping surfaces which deliver the material from one yto the other.These blocks partially divide the interior of the shaft into cavities,which communicate with each other by Acomparatively narrow gaps wherethe lower edge or corner of each block approaches the sloping side ofthe one next below. The uppermost central block 16 is located directlybelow the feed opening 12, and consequently parts the material, as itenters, to right and left, so that two streams are formed which divergeand converge repeatedly as they flow downward over the A slopingsurfaces. Inasmuch as the streams may join at the lower edges of theseveral blocks 15 and the edges of the blocks 16, it will be understoodthat the streams are not necessarily distinct throughout their flow.Obviously, the size of the furnace may be increased and the number ofblocks multiplied, and there may be'any number of zig. zag streams thatmaybe desired. The characteristic arrangement is such, however, as

The air or gases are supplied by a blower A 20, which forces the gaseousfluid through a duct 21 in the lower part of the masonry. This duct isextended, as shown at 22, so as to cause the fluid to flow around thehopper bottom 17. The duct 22 delivers the fluid thus heated to adistributing system, comprising an upward-extending duct 23 in one .ofthe side walls of the shaft .and lateral branch ducts 24:. whichterminate in ports 25 that'deliver into the side cavities'below the'blocks 15, which are preferably recessed at the bottoms to affordpockets into which these ports open. The branch passages 24 "of gases,and these ports constitute the entrances to ducts 27, which lead throughthe walls of the shaft into a common vertical duct or chamber 28 at oneside of the shaft vand preferably formed in the wall thereof..

This space has an opening at the bottom provided with a closure 29forremoval of collected dust, etc., and at the top has an exit opening 30through which thegases pass to another collecting or separatingchamber31. The latter is provided with a depending partition or baiiie 32, anopening with a closure 33 at the bottom for removal of the dust, and anexit 34 at the top from which Athe gases may be conducted to any desired.point orallowed to escape.

Means are provided for heating thematerial electrically as it flows overthe inclined guide surfaces. To-this end the blocks 1 5,

1. 16 are provided in their interiors with nonmetallicresistanceconductors. 35, which become incandescent on passage` of electriccurrent and are adapted to. afforda high degree of heat. .Theseconductors are suitably `formed of a composition of clay and graphite inapproximate proportions of sixty per cent. of clay to forty per cent. ofcarbon. The heating elements by ,being embedded or inclosed inthe-blocks are protectedfromthe charge and from gases or i lair whichvmay be formed in or admittedto the shaft. The blocks areof'heat-resisting, electrically non-conducting material, and

`their upper sections may be carborundum' tiles'. The lower. sectionsmay be also carborundum tiles if desired, At their ends the conductorsare received in socketed connections 36of alower degree of resistance,

which in turn receive pure carbon terminals 37 that are electricallyconnected by bars v to suitable members 38, which'make connection withthe outside circuit or circuits. The barsv 50 are bolted or otherwisesecured in close electrical connection to the carbon terminals 37, andare also in close electrical [connection with the members' 38. Thus, the

surfaces of the deflectors, which guide the flow of the material anddivide the interior of the shaft in such manner as to secure the best`actionv lie air or gases o n the material, are hea by controllablemeans which .enable the material to be heated to any desired degreewithout interfering with the downwardv of the material or the upvwardmovement of the -air or gases. Thev arrangement of the air or gas inletsand of the gas or vaporoutlets at alternating levels, between which arethe comparativel narrow gaps where the material is turne agitated andgiven a new direction, A1s especially advantageous.

Certain of the blocksl need not be provided with the resistance heaters,or if in operation it is found-that the material contains enough ofcertain constituents to continue burning after' being ignited, currentmay be passed only throu hy the conductors of the' upper block or bloc,s`

to ignite the material and through the con ductors of the lowei'mostlblocks to complete the roas`t or other treatment.

Means are provided 'for independently regulating the degree of heat atdifferent levels. To this end the lieatin units '35 at' the differentlevels are connecte in multiple' by conductors 44,45 across themaincon-l ductors 46, 47 of the secondary circuit of a around the hopperbottom 17, where they are heated to facilitate the subsequent reactionsin the portion of the 'shaft containing the deflectors. The air or gaseseniergethrough' the ports 25 at different levels, and in rising throughthe circuitous spaces between the blocks become thoroughly mixed withthe descending zigzag' streams of material, so i that by the aidl of theheat supplied at the delecting surfaces by the resistance conductors theroasting or other operation is performed in a most efficient manner.

The rate at which the material is supplied tothe series of surfaces andthe rate at whichfit flows therefrom, and consequently the velocity andvolume of How through the shaft and over the heating surfaces, can beregulated by'valves or gates, indicated in a schematic manner at the topand bottom, those at the top being designated by the numeralsll, 42, andthe one at the bottom being'numbered 43. The construction and operation.of the gates orvalves may be widely varied.' The lower gate 43isrepresented as being slidable on guides or. y

ledges, and is movable by means of a lpoker or the like inserted throughthe lowest of the openings 24.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In an electric furnace, the combination of a shaft, guide blocksarranged -infstaggered" relation down the interior thereof and havingreversely sloping surfaces adapted to cause the material to flowthereover by gravity in a zigzag downward course, non-arcing vresistanceconductors located inthe interior of part or all of said blocks to heattheslopthe interior of said blocks, and means forv fluid to theshaft atdifferent levels', and

, means for 'conducting the resulting gases-and vapors aw'ay fromtheshaft at intermediate levels.

'2. A'furnace having a shaft, a plurality, of triangular blocks ofrefractory material- ,disposed therein in staggered relation,'means Iforsupplying heat tothe material as it flows over the surface of saidblocks comprising carbonaceous resistance elements located in neathcertainof said blocks to react with the v heated material.

' material to be treated is fed at the top,'guide 3. A furnace having aninterior in which lthe material is caused to flow downward by gravity,the same being provided with a plurality of guide members disposed atsuccessive levels and l.lriaving sloping surfaces in zigzag relationover which the material flows in a like course, means for electricallyheating thevmaterial inthe shaft comprising resistance elements locatedin the interior of part or all 'of said members, means for ad# mittinggaseous fluid into the shaft beneath' guide members at different levels,and means for conducting oli' the, resulting gases and vapors frombeneath guide members at in`- termediate levels.

4. In a. furnace, a shaft into which. the

members therein for causing the material to flow in a `zigzag courseasit descends by gravity, and a portion at the bottom of the shaft forreceiving the material that finally drops from the lowestl Vguidemembers, in combination Witha duct for admission of gaseous fluidarranged adjacent the wall of said bottom portion so as tobe heated bythe material therein, and distributing ducts with ports opening into theinterior of the shaft to which the iuid flows from t e heating ducts. f

v5. A vertical furnace provided interiorly with guide members arrangedto cause the material to ilowin a zigzag course in its descent bygravity, means for heating the material in its descent, an exit forgases and vapors, and means for conducting gaseous Huid to act on thematerial around the lower portion of the interior of the furnaceto beheated and then admitting it to the portion Bf the interior containingthe guide memers. f

6. A furnace having a downward extending opening or passage therein anda plurality of guide members in said passage, said guide members havingreversely sloping heating surfaces arranged to cause the material toflow thereover in a zigzag course,

non-arcing resistance heaters for heating` Copies of this patent may beobtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. C.

